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NHS in Norfolk backs Speak out Safely

17 October, 2013

Three NHS organisations serving patients in Norfolk have signed up to Nursing Times’ Speak out Safely campaign.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust and Norwich Clinical Commissioning Group made a joint public pledge that their staff can speak up without fear of reprisal. They were followed by Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust meaning almost all NHS organisations in the county are supporting the campaign.

Chief executive of the hospitals trust, Anna Dugdale, said: “We actively encourage our staff, through our Speak Up Policy, to come forward if they have concerns so we are delighted to be able to sign up to and give our full support to the Speak Out Safely campaign.”

By signing up to the campaign organisations are pledging to listen to and act on staff concerns about patient safety.

CCG chief executive Jonathon Fagge said: “We must have a culture in the NHS where patients and quality of care comes first.

“NHS staff on the front line or behind the scenes can see when things are not going right or can be improved. We say they can – and must - speak out. This way we can all drive up standards of care for patients.”

Are you able to Speak Out Safely? Sign our petitionto put pressure on your trust to support an open and transparent NHS.

Readers' comments
(4)

Is it about time for the SOS campaign to produce something akin to a set of guidelines about what 'pledging to listen to and act on staff concerns about patient safety' should look like, when written into Trust protocols ?

Or has that been done, without me noticing ?

If it hasn't been done, it does look like the next logical step, once enough trusts have signed up 'to the idea' ?

I work for one of these organisations and I'm not convinced by the pretty logo. There is no culture of openness and my personal experience of raising concerns has not been a positive one. The organisation is very good at showing a friendly face to the media but in reality things are very different.